Category Archives: Opinion/Debate

This post is based on a press briefing I made in the European Parliament in Brussels last week. For video footage, see here. The contents of this post will be updated as further details emerge on the member state electoral systems. … Continue reading →

Ukraine: Is This Civil War? Dr. Erin Baumann: School of Politics & International Relations, UCD To say the situation in Ukraine is developing rapidly is a vast understatement. Since Monday the country has gone from promising calm to rapidly descending … Continue reading →

SPIRe’s Prof. Ben Tonra recently testified to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs on the Irish Foreign Policy Review. Professor Tonra’s remarks focused on the role of Ireland as a small state in a global context, particularly focusing on … Continue reading →

By: Prof. Ben Tonra The Minister of Defence, Alan Shatter, has just published a long-awaited Green Paper on Irish Defence – precursor to a White Paper due in 2014. Interestingly, the immediate response from the largest opposition party has been … Continue reading →

Here’s a link to a recent post of mine on the PSAI blog that poses questions over the 2011 election. What really changed? Why does Irish party politics appear to be reverting to type? Why have we seen no signs … Continue reading →